NRMA Kennedy Awards renews Hillbrick Bicycles’ sponsorship

The NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism has renewed Hillbrick Bicycles’ sponsorship of the Sean Flannery Award for Outstanding Radio Reporting.

The announcement:

The NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism today welcomed Sydney custom clothing & cycle manufacturer Hillbrick Bicycles’ renewed sponsorship of the prestigious radio award, the Sean Flannery Award for Outstanding Radio Reporting.

Hillbrick Bicycles have generously sponsored the awards for the past five years including the Sean Flannery Award last year which saw the ABC’s Giselle Wakatama winning the hotly-contested category with its magnificent prize of a super custom-made Hillbrick bicycle.

The winner this year – who will also receive a Hillbrick bicycle made to the journalist’s specifications – will be announced at the 6th Kennedy Awards’ gala night at the Australian Turf Club’s Grand Ballroom, Royal Randwick, on August 11.

The Outstanding Radio Reporting category honours the late, great radio news journeyman Sean Flannery, who died in 2011 and is fondly remembered by colleagues “as the most loveable rogue to ever hold a mic”.

Mr Simon Dulhunty, the chairman of the Kennedy Foundation which stages the annual Kennedy Awards, thanked Hillbrick Bicycles for their ongoing support and commitment to the Kennedy Awards.

“The awards and the Kennedy Foundation is extremely grateful to again have the generous support of Hillbrick Bicycles in this, the sixth year of the Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism,” Mr Dulhunty said.

“The Sean Flannery Award acknowledges outstanding reporting from the ranks of our radio journalists, media professionals who challenge themselves every day in a highly volatile and competitive news market where deadlines rule.

“The winner this year will again be recognised by the judges for standout craftsmanship, expertise and quality news gathering – talent that the great Sean Flannery would surely appreciate.”

Mr Paul Hillbrick, manager of Hillbrick Bicycles, said: “Hillbrick Bicycles are proud to be a sponsor of the Kennedy Awards again.

“The awards help highlight the important role that the media play in our lives reporting stories, both good and bad. Sean Flannery was highly regarded by all in the industry and naming this award after Sean ensures that his legacy isn’t forgotten”.

Giselle Wakatama’s Sean Flannery Award win last year followed three years of success in the category by 2GB’s highly respected journalist Natalie Peters, who is also a trustee of the Kennedy Foundation.

Cyclenote: Mr Hillbrick, 48, has been designing and building quality bikes for more than 30 years. His clients include Prime Minister Tony Abbott, modern-day corporate executives, NSW and Queensland police and members of the Australian Federal Police.

The NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism, named in honour of legendary Sydney crime reporter Les Kennedy who died aged 53 years in 2011, continue to recognise the finest media professionals and those who have put so much back into the industry.

The awards are supported by the Kennedy Foundation, a registered charity to administer a benevolent fund for media professionals facing hardship as well as other charitable organisations.